INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Census of Population and Housing 2024 has found that the latest population of Sri Lanka is 21,763,170.According to the latest data,
which was released today (07), this census has shown an increase of 1,403,731 compared to the population reported in the Census of
censuses, was conducted from October 2024 to the second week of February 2025
The census moment was 00:00 hours on 19 December 2024.During the 2001-2012 inter-census period, the average annual population growth rate
For the 2012-2024 inter-census period, the average annual population growth rate is 0.5 percent
This indicates that while the population growth rate in Sri Lanka has slowed, the population continues to increase.Meanwhile, the latest
census has found that when considering the population by province in Sri Lanka, the Western Province has the highest population, accounting
for 28.1% of the total, while the Northern Province has the lowest, with 5.3% of the total population.When considering the population
distribution at the district level, Gampaha District has reported the highest population, with 2,433,685 persons
report indicated.Apart from Gampaha and Colombo districts, the highest population is reported from Kurunegala (1,760,829), Kandy
(1,461,269), Kalutara (1,305,552), Ratnapura (1,145,138), and Galle (1,096,585) districts respectively, with each of these districts
reporting a population of more than one million.As in the previous censuses, districts with the lowest population in the country this time
are Mullaitivu (122,542), Mannar (123,674), Kilinochchi (136,434) and Vavuniya (172,257) districts in the Northern Province.The highest
annual growth rate of 2.23% has been reported from Mullaitivu district
The lowest annual growth rate is recorded in Vavuniya District (0.01%).As in previous censuses, the highest population density of 3,549
persons per square kilometer is reported in Colombo District, while the lowest population density is reported in Mullaitivu District, which
has a population density of 50 persons per square kilometer.In the meantime, the highest number of persons living outdoors without a place
of usual residence, identified as roofless, at 841, was reported from the Western Province, as per the latest census data.The lowest number
Colombo District, where 536 persons were recorded
Similarly, no roofless persons were reported from the Kilinochchi District in the Northern Province.
